Plácido Domingo enjoys a chat with arist Judithe Hernandez at MOLAA’s annual gala Friday. Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Plácido Domingo — one of the world’s most influential operatic singers, actors, conductors and administrators– was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Attendees at the Museum of Latin American Art’s gala Friday night. Plácido Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Plácido Domingo enjoys a chat with arist Judithe Hernandez at MOLAA’s annual gala Friday. Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

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The sculpture garden at Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art was all decked out for the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Plácido Domingo — one of the world’s most influential operatic singers, actors, conductors and administrators– was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. At right is his wife, Marta. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Visitors enjpy the art on display at MOLAA on Friday. Plácido Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Mariachis perform before Plácido Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Dr. Lourdes Ramos-Rivas, President and CEO of the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in Long Beach, enjoys a laugh with opera legend Plácido Domingo at the museum’s gala. Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Entertainers perform at the Museum of Latin American Art’s annual gala Placido Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Cotumers from opera productions were on dislay before Plácido Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

A crown once worn by Plácido Domingo on stage is displayed. Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Plácido Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Visitors to MOLAA on Friday enjoyed the art on display before Plácido Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Dr. Lourdes Ramos-Rivas, President and CEO of the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in Long Beach, listens as Plácido Domingo speaks to attendees at the museum’s gala. Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Mariachis perform before Plácido Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Plácido Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Visitors enjoyed the art on display at MOLAA on Friday before Plácido Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Plácido Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Mariachis perform before Plácido Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

Plácido Domingo was presented with the new “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts Award” by Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art at the museum’s annual gala Friday, Oct. 5. Photo: Tom Bray, SCNG

When legendary opera singer, conductor and executive Placido Domingo received the Museum of Latin American Art’s inaugural “LEGADO: A Legacy for the Arts” award Friday night, Oct. 5, he had one thing he wanted the audience to know: When MOLAA President Lourdes Ramos-Rivas asks you for help, you come.

“Finding a date was hard, but the easiest thing for me to say was ‘yes,’ ” he said after receiving the award on stage before some 300 guests in the Long Beach museum’s outdoor Robert Gumbiner Sculpture Garden.

The room was filled with arts patrons and elected officials, including Mayor Robert Garcia, former Mayor Bob Foster and artist Judithe Hernández, whose current show is the museum’s first solo exhibition of a Chicana artist. Domingo was accompanied by his wife, Marta, a longtime operatic soprano, designer and director.

Speakers praised the maestro for not only his record-setting career (he has sung an unprecedented number of different roles — reaching 150 in 2018) but for his lifetime of public service. After the earthquake of 1985 devastated Mexico City, he jumped in — literally — to help find survivors in the rubble. He later performed benefit concerts around the world for the victims.

Domingo has earned 12 Grammy Awards, including three Latin Grammys, and two Emmy Awards. He has starred in three feature films — “Carmen,” “La Traviata” and “Otello” — and has appeared as himself on TV shows ranging from “Sesame Street” to “The Simpsons.”

He has conducted more than 500 performances with such groups as the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Chicago Symphony, Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Berlin Philharmonic.

In 1990, Domingo teamed with José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti to create the Three Tenors, one of the most popular classical performing and recording acts of all time.

An experienced administrator, Domingo is currently the general director of the Los Angeles Opera.

On Friday evening, Domingo took time to peruse the artwork on display at MOLAA, chat with museum benefactors and enjoy the music-filled evening.

Receiving the inaugural award is a lot of responsibility, the musical icon admitted, but he seemed truly humbled by the honor.

“I am really very touched and grateful for this recognition,” he said. “Although our individual lives end, art lives on. It makes us feel that we are a part of something greater than ourselves.”